


Stray

by CopyQat



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Orphan Byleth, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21867793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CopyQat/pseuds/CopyQat
Summary: Edelgard finds a strange young girl in the garden of the Imperial palace with no family in sight.Byleth finds a new home as the princess’ newest royal retainer.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 76
Kudos: 597





	1. Look What I Found

**Author's Note:**

> Edelgard finds a stray in the garden.

There were stray cats just about everywhere in Fodlan. From Fhirdiad, to Derdriu, to where Edelgard currently was, the Imperial capital, Enbarr.

She liked the cats. They were cute, and soft, and came in so many different colors. She wished she could keep all of them, they must get cold and hungry all by themselves. But her father told her that they couldn’t possibly take in all the cats in the world, so she settled for feeding the strays that lived in the garden.

Unfortunately in order to do that she needed fish, and she wasn’t the best fisher. So she decided to send Hurbert out to get some while she played with the kittens. This was only slightly motivated by a want to be alone, she liked Hubert but he followed her around all the time.

“Don’t worry Stripes, Hurbert will be back soon.” she told the black and white kitten as he nuzzled into her hand. She knew most of the kitten’s tells for when they were hungry. Stripes would nuzzle, Tangerine would try to bite at her fingers, and Fluffy and the white one would shine and cry when they were hungry

She still hadn’t come up with a name for the white one yet. It had appeared a few days ago and Edelgard was juggling between Snow and Cloud for her name. Speaking of which, the kitten wasn’t in the ball of fur in front of her.

Looking around she couldn’t see it from where she was sitting. Picking up one of the kittens she began walking through the garden looking for it. It was always possible it just decided to go somewhere else today. She hoped nothing bad happened to it, it was just a baby and there were plenty of ways it could have been hurt.

After a few minutes of searching she began to hear the high pitched meowing of the kitten. Following the cries eventually led to a secluded corner of the garden that was left somewhat unattended, which led to it being filled with wildflowers. Edelgard always liked this corner, the flowers that grew here were not grown in the garden proper.

The meowing was coming from behind a rather large bush of crimson flowers. Moving around it she found something she was not expecting.

There was a girl, with messy navy hair, playing with a little white kitten. The girl looked somewhat disheveled. Her hair was not only messy but also had a few leaves, and even a twig, stuck in it. Her clothes were also dirty with dirt and mud stains.

Edelgard didn’t recognize her. Granted she didn’t know a lot of people outside her father, siblings, and a few retainers like Hubert, but that was beside the point. Perhaps she was one of the servants’ children that they had could not leave at home.

“Um, excuse me?”

Turning a round Edelgard could get a better look at the girls face. She had a round face, with big blue eyes the same color as her hair, with said face being just as dirty as her clothes. She looked a bit older than Edelgard, maybe by a year or two. Still he girl looked somewhat… off, but even then she didn’t look very dangerous

Still staring at her, the girl tilted her head questioningly. Taking that as her cue to continue Edelgard asked “Oh... uhm, I’m Edelgard Von Hresvelg. Are you one of the servants’ children?”

After a moment the girl simply shook her head, messy hair shaking with it.

“Oh, then how did you get in the garden?” No one from outside was allowed to enter the palace unless they worked there or they were hosting an event. The palace was also well guarded and secure, so for someone apparently not meant to be here in the garden peaked Edelgard’s curiosity.

After thinking for a few moments, the girl simply picked up the kitten and held it towards Edelgard.

“You followed her?” After receiving a nod she laughed .“I guess I can see that, they always seem to get into impossible places.”

Still holding the kitten the girl asked softly “...Yours?”

“Oh no, they're just strays that live here. My father won’t let me keep any, so I just come play and feed them in the garden.” As the kitten resumed it meowing she chuckled “I think he might be hungry, my friend Hubert should be back soon with some fish for them.”

At the mention of fish a rather loud rumbling came from the girls stomach “Oh are you hungry?” Receiving a slow nod Edelgard said “Come with me, I can ask one of the servants to bring some food.”

Bring the kitten to her chest, the girl stood and began following Edelgard back towards the main garden.

After a few moments she remembered she forgot to ask something important. “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask for your name.”

Turning to the princess, the girl answered.

“Byleth.”


	2. Where?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert doesn’t trust the strange girl that suddenly appeared in the garden. Edelgard on the other hand...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine my surprise when something I posted got about 90 kudos in less then 2 days. Thank you all, it means more than you could ever imagine :)

Byleth was nice.

The two girls were waiting for either Hubert to come back with the fish or one of the many servants working at the palace to come with their food.

They were currently talking at one of the many tea tables in the garden about all kinds of things. The flowers, the kittens, what they enjoyed eating. Well… to be completely honest it was more Edelgard talking and Byleth nodding or shaking her head. Edelgard didn’t know if she was shy or nervous about talking to her or if her new friend simply didn’t like talking much, but she liked them either way. She seemed to be giving all her attention to Edelgard, like she was the only thing in the world.

When Edelgard had asked some nearby servants to bring them some lunch they had been giving Byleth odd looks. One had even asked her “Who’s your… friend Lady Edelgard?”

She may have been a child, but she knew enough to know what they thought of her friend. “Her name is Byleth, and we will be eating in the garden.” She responded. Grabbing Byleth’s hand she then added, “Now if you don’t mind us.”

Edelgard may not be able to tell how she got into the garden, but she could tell Byleth was a nice person. Whether she was dirty or not shouldn’t be enough for people to judge as a person. If she, an Imperial princess, knew enough to not judge people by how they looked, she didn’t understand why other people couldn't as well.

As they took a break from talking to watch the kittens play fight, Edelgard began to think up a name for the white kitten currently sat in Byleth’s arms. She liked Snow, but it didn’t snow often in Enbarr, it occasionally did but it snowed much more in the Kingdom and she thought it wouldn’t make much sense for an Empire cat to be called something most people associated with the Kingdom.

And the kitten wasn’t all poofy like a cloud was. It had much smoother fur when compared to Fluffy.

_Maybe I should ask Byleth fo-_

“Who are you.”

Edelgard couldn't help but jump at the ominous voice. Turning around she saw that it belonged to her ever loyal retainer, with a cloth bag in his arms that smelled funny. “Hubert, what did I tell you about sneaking up on me!” she pouted, she still had not gotten use to her friend’s tendency for sneaking up on her. His sinister appearance and mannerisms yes, but she did not know if she would ever get used to his sneaking.

“I do apologize Lady Edelgard.” Holding up the bag he added, “The fish, your Highness.”

After she took the bag from him, Hubert turned to Byleth, “Now I believe I asked you a question.” Looking up at the boy, Byleth simply stared at him for a few moments, before Hubert said annoyed, “If you do not tell me your name I wi-”

“Her name is Byleth.” Edelgard interrupted. She knew Hubert meant well, only wanting to ensure she was safe, but she also knew he could be exceedingly harsh at times. The last thing she wanted was for her to be afraid of Hubert.

“Byleth.” He started “As in the demon?” 

...Of course Hubert would know something like that. Standing up from her seat she turned to the kittens, stating “We were simply talking and playing with the kittens Hubert, there is nothing for you to worry about.”

As she began feeding the tiny animals, the boy asked, staring daggers at Byleth “And where did she come? For all we know she could be an assassin sent to-”

“If she wanted to hurt me she already had plenty of opportunities to do so already, Hubert.” Byleth herself seemed content enough to ignore him, following to Edelgard to let the white kitten eat with it’s friends. After setting it down, she laid on her stomach to watch the animals.

“Even still-”

“Your Highness.” One of the servants called, interrupting him. “Here is you and your friends meal, I hope you enjoy.” Byleth immediately bolted upright, returned to her seat, and began devouring her meal. Edelgard took a moment to simply watch the girl.

_She must have been really hungry…_

Standing up she thanked the woman who brought them their food, before returning to her seat to enjoy her meal. In her personal opinion it could have used more sweets instead of the canvas of vegetables on her plate, but it was delicious nonetheless.

When she was about a third of the way through her meal she heard a rather loud burp. Looking up she saw that Byleth had finished her plate, not leaving even a scrap of meat on the steak bone she was given. She giggled at the site in front of her, nobody she knew had ever eaten a meal so fast, let alone so informally, in front of her before.

As she continued her meal Byleth had decided to return to her spot in the grass to watch the kittens play. Hubert continued to stare at her as if she were a demonic beast ready to attack at any moment. He really could be paranoid at times.

As she finished her plate, Hubert spoke up. “Well it is getting late. I believe you should be heading home Byleth, her Highness should be heading inside.”

“...Where should I go…?”

Edelgard froze at that. Turning to the older girl, she saw Byleth had sat up , with the white kitten in her arms, and was staring at the both of them questioningly as if they were supposed to know. “Don’t you… don’t you have a home?”

Byleth shook her head.

She turned to Hubert to see even he was taken aback by her question. “Don’t you have someone who takes care of you?”

Byleth sat still for a moment, her only movement the slightest squinting of her eyes. “Lost him…” she answered quietly.

Edelgard slowly asked “Do… do you mean… they died?”

Byleth shook her head once again. “Don’t know where he is...”

It felt as though time froze. It never occurred to her Byleth could be an orphan, a commoner yes, but not an orphan. She thought the state of her hair and clothes were a result just the result of her sneaking into the garden.

After a few more moments of silence, Edelgard made up her mind. Rising from her seat she walked over to Byleth and took her hand. Helping her friend up from the ground she began to lead her towards the palace.

Her father would let Byleth stay with them. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Hubert can barely get a word in :(


	3. Of Course What are Friends For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert can’t help but ask one simple question...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit:
> 
> Can’t sleep, I think what was originally chapter 4 works better added here so here ya go

As she led Byleth through the long halls of the palace Edelgard began planning out her strategy. While she was not about to take no as an answer, she would still have to convince him to let the girl stay. But she did know two things.

1\. Her father was a good man. 

She had heard many of the other nobles talk down about commoners, or even their own children if they weren't born with a crest. Her father, on the other hand planned for her eldest sibling to succeed him, even though she was the only one to inherit The Crest of Serios, and he had on more than one occasion given commoners positions in the palace, army, and would periodically meet with them to hear their troubles. 

She admired him for that, and while nobles like Duke Aegir may find it odd, she found it the most logical way to listen to the common folk. So she was sure that if she explained Byleth’s situation to him, he would at the very least, feel bad for the girl and may let her just on that alone

2\. She was stubborn. 

She knew this, her father knew this, and just about everyone in the palace knew this as well. Last year she told her father she wanted to start weapons training, but he had refused her, saying it was too dangerous. She then proceeded to lock herself in her room for about a week, refusing to open the door for even food until her father agreed to let her start training. Hubert and her older brother were just about to knock her door down, when her father finally caved. 

So if she wasn’t able to convince her father to let Byleth stay, Edelgard planned to sneak Byleth into her room and have her friend live in the palace anyway until he gave her an actual room of her own. And if need be she’d just lock her and Byleth in the room and wait it out again. She could and, most importantly, her father knew she would.

Looking behind her, she saw Byleth gazing wide eyed at her surroundings. Her eyes never seemed to settle on one place, moving from the painted ceiling, to the ornately woven fabric of the curtains, to the many guards and palace attendees around them. They had all at one point stopped to stare at the two, but had ultimately decided to leave them be. She also saw Hubert following close behind them.

“Lady Edelgard, if I may be so bold to ask, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to ask father to let Byleth stay in the palace.” She answered matter of factly. The girl in question seemed untethered by their conversation, and continued her to stare at things that caught her attention.

“If you don’t mind me asking, my lady” he paused, giving her time to stop him. If there was one thing she would never do, it was not let him speak his mind. It honestly worried her that he took all the insults about him being nothing more than her dog to heart. After giving him a nod, he continued, “This seems like an awful lot to do for someone you just met today, so I must ask, why?”

Why? Edelgard had to stop and think about it. It was true she just met her today, and by all accounts Byleth was odd. She somehow got into the royal garden undetected, barely spoke, and had apparently been living on the streets until they met. But even then, they had spent the whole day together, played together, and despite not talking, she had given Edelgard all her attention. She was her friend.

And while she considered Hubert her friend, Byleth was different. Byleth did not agree with everything she said when they talked, shaking her head when she felt the need. Byleth did not treat her like the royalty she was, didn’t seem to change the way she acted around her even though she was a princess, like she saw so many other people do. 

Something about Byleth made her feel like she could just be herself. Not the daughter of the emperor like the commoners she met would treat her. Not the annoying little sister that her siblings treated her as. Not the rightful heir to the throne some of the nobles thought she was. Simply Edelgard. So why did she want to help Byleth.

“Because she's my friend Hubert. And friends help each other when they can. The palace has plenty of rooms and enough food for her to stay, so I don’t see why she can’t.”

She felt the arm in her hand stop in hesitation. Turning once again to Byleth, the girl stared at her, head tilted questioningly.

“...Friend?...”

Smiling at her, Edelgard nodded. “Of course we’re friends.”

And for the first time the whole day, she saw Byleth smile. It was a small smile, but one that seemed to fit perfectly on her face.

“Well then…” Hubert sighed, “we had better get going. We still have to convince your father to let her stay.”

Turning back to her retainer, Edelgard simply stated, “Thank you, Hubert.” They’d convince her father, one way or another.

———-

As they entered the throne room were her father was, she had still not come up with a definitive plan to convince her father. She had the outlines of a plan, but she was hoping Hubert would be able help her improvise the rest of it.

Ionius IX was currently discussing something the small group was unable to hear with Duke Aegir. It was most likely about some political Edelgard did not care for, and if she was honest did not understand. Her father mostly taught just her older sister, Isabella, about how to run the Empire since she was to ascend the throne.

Taking notice of his daughter, the Emperor stopped his conversation. “Ah, Edelgard how are you?”

Stopping a few feet in front of her father, Edelgard let go of her friends arm and responded “I’m fine father, I hope I'm not interrupting something.”

“No, no, of course not. I always have time yo my dear El.” Turning to the Prime Minister he stated “Besides we were just about to finish this discussion, weren’t we Duke Aegir?” 

“Of course your Majesty…” The Prime Minister replied. She could have sworn he said something else, but if he did, he said it to quiet for it to reach her ear. She never liked him, he always had something rude to about the common folk, or how she would make a much better Emperor then her sister. 

As the Emperor turned back to the group, his eyes focused on Byleth asking, “Now then, who might you be, miss?”

Byleth stared at him for a while, before turning to Edelgard eyes scrunched. Her face conveyed to the princess all what her friend wanted from her just fine. ‘Help…’

Turning to her father, Edelgard answered, “This is Byleth, she’s my friend.” After a moment she added “She doesn’t talk much.”

“Well” he laughed, “It is nice to know my Edelgard is making friends.” Kneeling down to match Byleth’s height, he held out his hand for the girl, “It is nice to meet you Byleth.” Taking his hand, Byleth gave the Emperor one good shake while nodding her head.

After sitting himself on the stairs to the throne, he asked, “Now what brings you three to me, you should be in bed soon if I’m not mistaken Edelgard.”

Edelgard could feel her face heat up with embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself before asking, “Father, I have a request.” After receiving a nod she continued, “Can Byleth stay in the palace?”

After a pause he answered, “Well, I suppose she could stay a night if-”

“No father!” she interrupted, maybe a bit too loudly. As he turned back to her she corrected him. “I was wondering if she could stay permanently.”

“Excuse me?” the Prime Minister gasped.

Glaring at the man, Hubert explained “Byleth does not have a home to go back to and currently has now one to take care of her. So Lady Edelgard wishes for her to stay here in the palace.” He continued to glare at the Prime Minister which seemed to make him uncomfortable enough not to make a retort.

“That is… unfortunate.” her father stated “I am truly sorry.” Byleth simply stared at him, before slowly nodding her head. Her eyes were blank, not one emotion showing on her face. Edelgard could not help but wonder what she was thinking.

After once again thinking for a moment, the Emperor stated, “I believe we could house her for a few months, but to keep her here indefinitely…” She could practically see the wheels turning in his head and she knew just one more good push would convince him to let Byleth. But she already didn’t have a plan and nothing was coming to mind at the moment.

“Oh, come on father. It’s not like your not already housing a bunch of kids.”

Turning to where the voice came from, Edelgard saw one of her, many, older siblings, Elizabeth. She was currently standing behind one of the pillars in the throne room watching them. She wasn’t one of her favorite siblings, but she also did not hate her.

“Besides” she added, “Don’t you think El should have a friend around that’s more her age? It’s not like Ferdinand is always around.”

Edelgard glared at her sister. Ferdinand was a friend, per say, but he was also extremely aggravating. Always wanting to turn everything they did into a competition, it had been fun at first, but over time I just got annoying. And her sister knew her feelings, yet seemed to push his father to bring him to the palace more often. 

Hence why, Elizabeth was not her favorite sibling.

Turning to his older daughter, the Emperor asked, “What did I tell you about eavesdropping on conversations Eliza?” To that her sister shrunk back behind the pillar, muttering a quick apology.

“Your Majesty, if I may?” Hubert asked. Receiving the go ahead he continued, “Byleth does not necessarily be adopted by you. She could help me as another retainer.”

“Lady Edelgard has the tendency to… send me on tasks while she attends to other matters. As you know I am quite dedicated in my position, and as such I do not find any comfort in leaving Lady Edelgard unaccompanied. If Byleth where to accompany her Highness it would greatly ease my worries.”

After ensuring Hubert that he was doing a fantastic job and that he was sure Edelgard greatly appreciated his service, he turned to the girl in question. “Would these arrangements be acceptable for you, Byleth?”  
With a quick glance to her sides Byleth gave him a quick nod, and Edelgard couldn’t help but scream internally. They had done it! They had really done it!

Standing up, the Emperor asked, “Well then we would need to prepare a room for you, but it is rather late. You wouldn’t mind are friend sleep in your room would you Edelgard.”

Quickly shaking her head, she led her friend out of the throne room and into the many grand halls. There she couldn’t help but jump with joy, before crushing Hubert in a massive hug.

“Thank you, so much Hubert! You’re the BEST!”

“As much as I appreciate the compliments Lady Edelgard, I cannot breathe” He wheezed out, before the princess let go of him uttering a quick apology. She was about to do the same to Byleth before she heard a quiet little noise that had caught her attention.

_Meow…_

Looking down into Byleth’s arms she saw the little white kitten waking up from a nap. She had apparently not noticed that her friend had been carrying the tiny animal around with her the whole time.

“Have you been carrying her with you the entire time?” With a quick look down, Byleth nodded. She held the creature out giving the kitten to Edelgard. As much as she would have liked to keep the kitten with them, she knew that they were the one thing her father would not budge on. Something about her getting one and than wanting another and then another…

“We had better but you back outside with you friends.”

As they walked towards the garden, Edelgard turned and asked her newly appointed retainer. “So, I haven't come up with a name for her yet and it’s been a long while since she first showed up. Would you like to name her?”

Looking at the kitten Bytleth gave a quick nod, before answering:

“Sothis.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I’m gonna make this a collection, I want to at some point have a time skip and I feel having complete different work would make it feel less jarring and more coherent than continuing on this one work, but it’s still up in the air for now.


	4. A Mercenary’s Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth follows Edelgard to a place that reminds her of home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok... this took... more than awhile. But here’s the next chapter of Stray :)
> 
> Again sorry for the delay, took a break on Christmas, then school started up and my procrastination kicked in.
> 
> But I’m planning to stick with this story for awhile so strap in, this may take awhile
> 
> (Cindered shadows was pretty neat also)

“Hmm… I really should… Byleth… where are we?”

Turning towards the voice, the quiet girl was met with a familiar face. Looking cautiously about the room was Sothis, floating idly above the ground.

“Palace…”

“When did we end up in a palace?” She yawned. Sothis had fallen asleep before she had made her way into the garden, and met Edelgard. Still, she thought Sothis knew everything she did, so instead of answering she tilted her head.

After staring grogally at her, her floating friend stated, “I just woke up, it takes a while for me to remember what you do.” Nodding, Byleth told the woman an abridged tale of yesterday’s events. The events that ended with her as the newly appointed retainer of one of the Imperial Princesses.

“That is... “ The woman once again stared at her for a few moments, before shrugging “quite the story. At least we are no longer living on the streets, and you have succeeded in not getting us killed without my help, good job.” Nodding, she continued putting on the clean clothes she was given earlier that morning. It may have sounded like an outlandish story to others, but Byleth had no reason to lie to her mysterious friend (She didn't think she even could). 

Sothis had, for the longest time, been her only friend. She had kept her company when she was alone, gave her advice when she needed it, and even protected her when she couldn’t do so herself. She may look like a child, be able to float, and was invisible to everyone except her, but that hardly mattered to Byleth. After all, she was never very normal either.

Once she finished buttoning her top, she moved to the pile of clothing she was wearing the previous day. As she began searching through it Sothis asked, “Byleth…” After she gave a quiet hum her friend continued, “What are we going to do about your father?”

She paused her searching. She hadn’t given her father much thought recently, what with trying to survive on the streets and everything that’s happened at the palace. Still, it’s not like she had any reason to worry, “He’ll find us...”

“Byleth, as much as I want to believe you, there is always the chance he’s…” she stopped, knowing how the girl would react. Her host would barely react to anything, but bringing up the idea her father was, well gone, was one of the few things that made her angry enough to react.

The room stood still, with neither of them speaking or moving. That was when the sleeve of a cloak grabbed the quiet girl’s attention.

The cloak itself was too big for her, it’s cape needing to be pinned up as to not drag on the floor. The sleeves would reach past her hands if not for holes cut into them. It was also heavy, due to both the clothings’ size and the fact that armor had been sewn into it.

Taking the cloak from the pile of clothing, she pins up the cape before putting it on. Pulling it closer around her body, she mumbled, “He'll come…”

The next few minutes were filled with nothing but silence. Sothis in all honesty wanted to admonish the young girl for believing her father would somehow be able to find them. But the feeling of desperate hope she shared with her vessel whenever her father was brought up always prevented her from doing so.

The quiet continued, with tears beginning to well up in Byleth’s eyes, when there was a knock at the door, “Byleth, are you done getting dressed yet?”

Turning towards the door, she hesitated. “Well what are you waiting for?” Sothis asked. Turning to her invisible friend, Byleth saw her giving her a smile, before she added, “I’m sure we will see your father again, I don’t believe he’d give up searching for you after just a couple of weeks. And who knows maybe when he finds you he can also find work in this palace, instead of working as a mercenary.”

Wiping away her tears she nodded, before turning to the door. Opening it she was greeted to the bright smile of the Imperial Princess, with Hubert close behind her. With her face returned to its neutral state, Byleth gave her friends a simple “Sorry…”

“No worries.” Edelgard said, with a smile. “Now that you're ready, come! I want to show you around the palace!” Allowing the princess to take her hand, she began following the princess around the castle, thoughts of her father never truly leaving her mind.

\------------

They had passed by many places before stopping at a place Byleth had not expected the princess to be interested in. In front of them stood a rather large arena, from which she could hear the distant sounds of fighting. “Come, it’s almost time for my lessons” Edelgard called.

Following her into the building, Byleth observed her friend grab a training axe her size from a rack. Entering the main area of the training grounds she saw two men fighting in one of the open spaces of the building, with two smaller boys sitting on the stands

The training ground itself was something Byleth had never seen. It was very spacious, and even had areas that simulated different environments such as fake forests, and areas of sand that were akin to beaches. There were also plenty of training weapons from lances to harmless bows and arrows. She liked it here, it reminded her of the small areas they would set up when she was with her father’s mercenary band.

Her attention was drawn from her surroundings when, after the younger of the two men was knocked down, a loud shout rang from the stands. “YEEEAH! I KNEW YOU’D WIN UNCLE RANDOLPH!”

Looking towards the voice, she saw it came from one of the boys. Paying closer attention to them, she noted the one that was currently cheering for the victor had bright, pale blue hair, while the boy still sitting had darker orange hair.

After helping his opponent of the ground, the man, who she assumed was Randolph, turned to the boy and reprimanded, “As much as I appreciate the vote of confidence, you don’t have to scream Caspar.” After giving a quick apology the boy, Caspar she guessed, sat back down, with Randolph turning back to his opponent, offering some advice.

After a moment, the younger man seemed to take notice of their group, and one member specifically. “Hey sis, here for your lessons?”

Running up to her brother, Edelgard did her best to envelope her brother in a massive hug. “I am, Lee.” As they continued talking, Hubert leaned down towards her and whispered “Liam is her favorite sibling, this may take a while.” Byleth simply nodded in response, she didn't mind waiting. 

_You never do._

That was true, she never did mind waiting. Some thought she was odd for it, saying most children couldn't sit still. That also didn’t bother her, most thought she was odd.

After watching the siblings talk for a few minutes, Edelgard ran over, took Byleth's arm, and proceeded to drag the girl to her brother. “Byleth, this is Liam von Hresvelg, the bestest brother ever!” she told her, with a smile.

Kneeling down to reach her height, Liam gave her an easy smile. “So, your El’s new friend huh.” Reaching out his hand, he finished “It’s nice to meet you.”

Byleth stared at the appendage for a moment. She always forgot what to do when people did this, in the one and a half days she’s spent in the palace she had probably done this action more times than she ever did while with her father. After staring at the hand in front of her, she heard a very annoyed groan.

_Byleth, all you have to do is grab his hand and shake it._

Following her friend’s instructions, Byleth reached out and grabbed the prince’s hand before shaking it. “Well Edelgard you seems to be a magnet for quirky people.” Liam chuckled, receiving a pout from his sister. Standing back up, he turned back to Byleth “Well I’ve gotta get going, but if you need anything at all you know who to look for.”

As he walked out of the training grounds he gave a quick “good luck” to his sister, which she responded with saying she didn’t need luck, before he left their view. The older man, Randolph, if she remembered right, walked up to them. “Well your highness, if you're ready we can begin your training.” After receiving a determined nod he turned to the older girl, “Byleth was it? If you don’t mind, you can sit in the stands while the princess is training.”

Nodding, Byleth wandered over to the seats. She noticed Hubert had sat himself next to the other boys, though he seemed to have purposely sat himself to keep some level of separation between them. Plopping herself down next to her fellow retainer, it took about two seconds for the cyan haired boy to speak up.

“Hey, my names Caspar, what’s your name?” He asked, with a shining smile. His energy took Byleth by surprise, causing the question to go completely over her head. Hubert though seemed to have predicted her hesitation, answering “This is Byleth, due to… certain circumstances she will be working as Lady Edelgard’s second retainer.”

Taking his answer, Caspar excitedly proclaimed “Well it’s nice to meet you, I bet we’re going to be GREAT FRIENDS!” She nodded her head slowly at him, she had never met anyone with so much energy and was confused as to how she should respond. The other boy took this as an opportunity to introduce himself, proudly saying “It is a pleasure to meet you Byleth, my name is Ferdinand Von Aeiger, legitimate son of the Empire’s Prime Minister.”

He waited as if expecting some sort of reaction from her, but in all honesty half his words had no meaning to her. After a while he coughed, “Well it is nice to meet you. Though I am surprised that Hubert is okay with Edelgard having another retainer.”

The darker boy glared at him “Hardly, besides her highness seems to have taken special interest in this girl.”

“Really? So you're telling me you're not at all jealous that you’ll have to share Edelgard’s attention?” 

The two went back and forth for a few seconds, before Ferdinand was called off to help Edelgard with her training. Byleth watched the familiar sight of two people training together. Her growing up with a mercenary band meant she spent most of her time watching members of said group spar, it had been a while since she last saw such a sight.

It wasn’t long before her attention was drawn from the grounds in front of her to the very antsy looking boy to her side. “Man all this watching makes me want to go in there and brawl.” Turning his head towards her, he asked “Hey you wouldn’t happen to know how to fight would you? I’d ask Hubert but he uses magic and that’d be cheating.” She thought for a moment before nodding. Her father had taught her how to use a sword before she lost him, she remembered him telling her something about being a natural at it.

Giving another one of his smiles, Caspar asked, “GREAT, you wouldn't mind sparing a bit would you? I gotta warn you though, my father’s the Minister of Military affairs and he’s taught me quite a bit.” Yet more words she didn’t understand, but she agreed nonetheless. After all, she always enjoyed sparing with her father.

The boy cheered and led her to the weapons rack, before which she could swear she heard a rather annoyed sigh coming from Hubert and an amused chuckle coming from inside her mind Once there Caspar picked out a pair of properly sized training gauntlets, while Byleth grabbed a training sword a size too large for her.

Once armed the two of them went towards an unused part of the arena, with Byleth dragging the sword through the sand. Caspar quickly ran over to his uncle and told him what they were doing, to which Randolph asked Hubert to ensure they don’t hurt themselves too severely.

Once in position, Byleth lifted the slightly too big training weapon to lay on her shoulder. Caspar asked Hubert to mediate them to determine a winner, eventually settling on three strikes to anywhere on the body, but the head which would count as an automatic victory, Hubert stating if it were a real battle a strike to the head would likely be fatal.

As Hubert began counting down Byleth closed her eyes and took deep breaths, if her father had taught her anything it was that an unfocused mind could quickly lead to defeat. At the count of five she opened her eyes and observed her opponent. She clearly had the advantage with reach, considering she had a sword and Caspar had gauntlets, which likely meant he was either confident in his abilities or very stupid.

She still couldn't tell the second part but judging by his boasting earlier she could at least tell he was confident. Now all she had to do was tell if he could back it up.

_Oh please, this boy has no chance against us._

At the sound of go, Caspar charged the older girl, throwing punches that she easily dodged. They were extremely telegraphed and slow, giving her plenty of time to dodge his attacks. She was starting to think he may not be as skilled as he thought, when he feinted a blow to her left causing her to dodge right, towards his dominant and faster arm coming towards her head. 

Luckily for her, he went too far in with his left causing his right arm to slow significantly. Continuing her momentum, she let her knees buckle, rolling under his arm. Once she was up right she heard a him banter “Dang it, really thought I had you there!” After which he came charging back at her.

The dance of Byleth gracefully dodging Caspars attempt to hit her continued for several minutes. Finally after once again rolling under one of his right hooks, Byleth swung her blade at the boy causing him to audibly yelp as he quickly backed away, barley dodging her attack.

With distance between them, Caspar took a moment to catch his breath, Byleth noticed he seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated. Perfect.

With a mighty battle cry he once again charged the girl. Byleth quickley stuck her blade into the ground. Once he was close enough, she slashed her blade upward sending sand and dirt into the boy’s eyes, temporarily blinding him. As he stumbled forward, Byleth kicked his feet from under him, sending him tumbling to the ground. As he tried to get up Byleth lifted the blade with one hand around her body, and with the flat end of her sword, bonked him on the head.

With this strike, the boy collapsed to the floor, wheezing out a quiet “dang it.” As she relaxed her body, Byleth couldn’t help but notice how quiet the training grounds had gotten. There wasn't the sound of wooden blades clashing from the two other children sparing, nor the sound of Randolph lecturing them on how to properly use their chosen weapon.

Looking around she noticed everyone was looking at her with the same face. A mix of shock and awe at the girl’s abilities. All but one face.

“That… was… AMAZING!” Edelgard cheered, with stars in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fredie said the thing!!!
> 
> Personally head cannon Byleth’s cloak was originally Jeralt’s and one day she decided to “borrow” it.
> 
> Anyway let’s hope next chapter doesn’t take 2 months to release shall we.


	5. A Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peaceful day, a picnic, and a few promises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter woo!
> 
> This ones noticeably shorter than the last few and thats because this one is more of a transition chapter as we start jumping through time a bit

Aside from Edelgard gushing about her fighting ability, the rest of the day had been rather quiet. After Edelgard’s training they had gone to her more academic classes.

Byleth was included in these lessons, though the girl found the subjects rather boring. Her father had taught her the basics, how to read, write, some basic math, but most of the things he taught her were related in some way to combat. Despite her disinterest their instructor told her she was doing well.

Afterwards Edelgard brought up the idea of having a picnic by a nearby river, to which Hubert said was an excellent idea, while Byleth gave her usual nod. After gathering the food, a blanket, and much to the two nobles’ confusion a fishing rod, they made their way to the edge of the palace.

The area she was led to was much more natural than the rest of Enbarr. While the rest of the city was covered in concrete buildings and aqueducts, with only small patches of grass here and there, the field in front of her was allowed to flourish. Trees littered the area, the water flowed it’s natural course, and wildflowers grew freely. It was beautiful.

Once they reached the river they laid out the blanket under a nearby tree and began eating. From what Byleth had already eaten, and was currently eating, she loved food from the palace. Even ignoring any bias she may have due to a lack of food for the last few weeks, the food was delicious. Something about the food made it taste like nothing she had eaten before, and she even got regular desserts here.

Byleth was the first to finish her food, she didn’t understand why the other two ate so slow. Sothis told her it was because they had “table manners” but she thought cutting food into smaller peices and then eating it, was dumb when you could just use your hands and teeth.

As her friends continued eating, Byleth stood up from the blanket and made her way towards the river with her fishing rod. After casting the pole she sat on the ground and relaxed.

\------------

She had caught about three fish when she heard quiet whispering from behind her. Turning around she found Edelgard telling Hubert something she couldn’t quite make out from their distance. Unfortunately Sothis had since decided her time was better spent taking a nap, rather than watching Byleth fish, so she couldn’t ask her to get closer and relay what they were saying.

A sudden tug stole her attention from the pair, as a fish began biting. Turning back to the river, she yanked the fish out of the water. After setting the fish down and once again casting her line, she turned back around. Hubert had since wandered the parts only known to him and presumably Edelgard. The princess herself made her way to the river, and took a seat next to her friend.

“You are really good at fishing.” Facing her, Byleth nodded, a small smile gracing her face. Edelgard continued “I’m not that good at it, Lee says it's because I have no patience, but I can have plenty of patience when I really want to…”

Byleth continued facing the princess as she continued talking, only looking away when she felt a tug from the river. She liked listening to Edelgard, she had a lot to say and didn’t seem to mind that Byleth only added with brief words or shakes of her head.

After a while Edelgard’s eyes lit up “Oh, I was wondering, how did you learn to fight like that? You were dodging all Caspar’s attacks like you could see into the future.” Byleth felt her smile grow slightly, she couldn’t help it, Edelgard’s enthusiasm was infectious.

“Papa taught me… He’s a mercenary…”

Edelgard’s smile faltered slightly “Well… he must have been an amazing mercenary if he taught you well enough to beat the son of the Minister of Military affairs without taking a hit…” A moment of silence passed, the younger girl appeared to have gotten uncomfortable, so Byleth returned her gaze to the river. The quiet seemed different to her, more tense. She didn’t know why.

The silence was eventually broken when the princess asked, “Um… What was it like? Growing up a mercenary’s daughter I mean…” Byleth simply tilted her head in response. “Well as the Imperial Princess, I am not allowed to travel much outside of Enbarr, let alone the palace. But if your father was a mercenary you must have travelled all over Fodlan, correct?”

She paused to think for a few moments. It was true her father’s occupation meant travelling all over the continent, and though he would at times leave her in the care of others, she was never too far away from where his mission took him.

So she spoke. Spoke of the freezing cold and snow capped trees of the Kingdom, of the many bandits they encountered there. Spoke of the vast ocean of the Alliance’s capital and the great wall that was Fodlan’s throat, of the many times her father was sent out to deal with two nobles’ petty squabbles. Spoke of the Empire’s rolling fields and expansive forests, of the small villages scattered across it’s vast territory her father’s mercenary band would protect. She spoke so much by the end of her tale her throat.

“Wow… they all sound… amazing.” Edelgard breathed out. Quietly she added “I wish I could see them…”

Without a second thought, Byleth said “I’ll take you…”

Whiping her head up to face the older girl, the princess squeaked out “What!?”

“I promise…”

With her cheeks as red as her outfit, Edelgard whispered “I… thank you, Byleth…”

A silence once again overtook them, but this time it was welcome. Peaceful even.

\------------

Time passed and Hubert eventually returned. When he did, Edelgard went back to the shade of the tree, while Byleth continued fishing.

She had caught about twelve fish when the sky began to grow and orange color. Gathering the fish, she put them in the basket they brought their lunch in. Afterwards her gaze shifted towards the princess.

She was still sitting under the tree, Hubert keeping his eye trained behind her. The one thing that stood out was the piece of paper resting on her lap. The quiet girl walked over to her friend, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

On the parchment was a drawing. A girl with messy, shoulder length hair sitting on a riverbank, with a fishing rod in her hands. The drawing itself was… it was actually pretty good. The proportions were slightly off and her eyes were too small but other than that…

Edelgard’s head rose from the paper towards the riverbank. With confusion written on her face, she looked about the river. 

“I like it…”

The princess jumped suddenly, turning to the taller girl. “Byleth! I um- how do you and Hubert do that haha he…” Her face was as red as a fire.

“I like it…” she repeated.

“Oh… um I-“ she began stuttering “Well it’s… it’s not very good.” 

Turning his gaze toward the pair, Hubert commented “Well I believe it is nothing short of a masterpiece, your Highness.”

Edelgard simply rolled her eyes “It just looks… off. Maybe if I try again I can get it right.”

“More…?”

Edelgard looked at Byleth, still blushing “Um, yes? Unless you don’t want me to! In which case I’ll-“

“Show me…?”

The princess blinked in response “Show… you?”

Byleth nodded.

Still staring wide-eyed, Edelgard gave a simple “Okay.”

“Promise…?”

“I… I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case your wondering Edelgard is supposed to be around 7-8 years old, making Byleth somewhere around 10-12


	6. A Moment Amidst The Noise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The princess helps Byleth prepare for a party.
> 
> Byleth does not like crowds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... hope your all doing okay.
> 
> The quarantine kinda distracted me from writing for a bit but I still plan on continuing this tale.
> 
> Aside from that I’m not 100% sold on this chapter but I hope you enjoy it regardless :)
> 
> WARNING: Possibly the fluffiest thing I will ever write.

A few moons had passed and Byleth seemed to have adapted to life at the palace and had officially become the princesses best friend. As time went on, most of the palace staff stopped questioning her presence and she found ways to help around, the quiet girl seemed to prefer more physical tasks such as cooking and fishing.

It was clear to Edelgard however that she still was not completely comfortable. She still refused to talk or even emote around most people aside from her and Hubert, and would spend most of, if not all of her time either following the princess or spending her alone. Even when she was with them Byleth would rarely even give her tiny smile when other people were also around.

Despite her friend’s closed off, and at times even shy nature, the princess had gotten better at reading the tells Byleth would give for how she was feeling. They were small, at times even unnoticeable changes on the girl’s signature blank face, but they were there. The slight squinting of her eyes when she was uncomfortable, the ways her already big eyes would widen slightly when something surprised her, the way she’d seemingly stare into space when something caught her attention (the only way to tell was that her eyes would follow whatever caught her eye).

But unfortunately for Byleth, it was Isa’s birthday today, and as Edelgard’s retainer she would be accompanying her to the party. The problem being as the future Emperor her sister’s birthday was not a private event. Nobles from across The Empire and beyond would show up attempting to gain favor, or even with marriage offers.

As such Edelgard, and as her retainer Byleth were expected to not only look their best but act their best, which could include interacting with guests. And while all Edelgard could do about talking to the guests was hope they would not need to talk to them or hope they’d take more interest in the Imperial Princess rather than her new retainer, she could help Byleth look her best. Which is how the two of them ended up locked in her room, with the princess combing through her friend's hair. 

Byleth’s hair could best be described as a tiny jungle. Before she began combing the princess attempted to run her fingers through the quiet girl’s hair, only for her fingers to get stuck. After carefully removing her hand she asked her friend if she had ever combed her hair, to which she received a slow shake of her head.

She found this… odd. While Byleth didn’t seem to care about how she looked as much as others she did seem to care about personal hygiene, so she found it weird that she didn’t comb her hair. Personally Edelgard would much rather be dirty than have her hair as tangled as Byleth did.

By the time she finally got all the knots out of the other girl’s hair about half an hour had passed and now she had a new problem, that being that her hair was now covering most of the girl’s face. She had already spent around half an hour untangling knots so instead of trying to naturally arrange Byleth’s hair so it didn’t obscure the majority of her face, she began rummaging through her drawer.

After a moment of searching she found what she was looking for. In her hand was a simple pink hair band, which after moving a few strands she placed on her friends head. 

Stepping back from her work, she asked “What do you think?” Several moments of silence passed. “Byleth?” Walking around to face her friend, the princess was met with a sight she didn’t expect. Somehow, through the more than likely painful process of combing through her knot filled hair, Byleth had fallen asleep.

Edelgard could feel her face heat up as a very intrusive thought made its way into her mind. ‘Cute’ 

Well… to be entirely fair Edelgard thought she was cute long before she began brushing her hair. The girl’s big eyes, messy hair, and general demeanor were incredibly endearing. But something about the way the headband framed her face, along with the tranquil look on her face made Byleth seem even more so.

This was… good. Perfect even. Byleth looked even better than she already did, now all they had to do was pick out a dress. Reaching out a hand to wake up her friend, Edelgard paused. Byleth just looked so peaceful sleeping curled up in her seat, it’d be a shame to wake her up…

…

The party wasn’t for a few hours, it would probably be best for Byleth to get some rest anyway. Moving towards her closet the princess had only one goal in mind. Find a dress that not only fit her friend, but also one she would like.

How hard could it be?

\------------

As it turns out, very hard. Who knew being one of the Imperial Princesses would come with the benefit of having more dresses and accessories than one knew what to do with.

Finding a dress that fit was actually rather simple. Despite the girl being older than her, Byleth was a pretty small child, making her around Edelgard’s size. Finding one she thought the girl would like turned out to be a lot harder.

From what Edelgard could tell Byleth prefered wearing darker colors (maybe Eliza was right when she said she “had a type”), and unfortunately Edelgard’s wardrobe contained very little in terms of dark clothing. It mostly consisted of bright reds and pinks mixed with the occasional purples and browns.

So began her highnesses’ search through a seemingly infinite number of brightly colored fabric. After several minutes of searching the princess emerged from her closet with a total of 3 dresses she thought Byleth would like. ...On the bright side this hopefully meant picking a final outfit would not take as long.

The first dress was a rather simple, dark red dress with black lining. The next one was a more intricate outfit, the body was a dark purple with black sleeves, with a beautiful design sewn into it. The last dress was black with highlights of pink. Out of all the outfits she picked out she thought her friend would most like the most it was this one. It was a darker color than the first dress while not being as complicated as the second.

It also matched with the hairdband she gave Byleth which was a plus.

As it turned out the princess was absolutely correct, as when her friend woke up and was given her options she chose the third dress. Once she had actually gotten into the outfit however, a part of Edelgard’s brain wished she hadn’t. With the hairband, dress, and Byleth’s still slightly messy hair, the princess’ face felt like it was on fire as the thought of how cute her friend looked would not leave her mind.

Hopefully she’d be able to calm down fast enough so that she wouldn’t have to endure any teasing at the party.  


\------------

Luckily for Edelgard, she was successful in banishing the very intrusive thoughts from her mind before Hubert, Byleth, and her were escorted to the party.

As the party was for the future Emperor of Adrestia, it was, of course, very lavish and grand. The halls were crowded with nobles and knights and quite a few commoners. The buffet table was filled with the Empire’s finest meats, beverages, and, most importantly to the princess, sweets. There were even a few singers from the Mittelfrank Opera Company.

Being so young Edelgard luckily was not bothered too much by most of the guests, which let her spend most of her time with Byleth and Hubert unbothered. There was of course the exceptions with some of the other children brought to her sister’s party.

There was of course Ferdinand who, along with the ever excitable Caspar, had challenged Edelgard to see who could eat the most sweets. And while she was successful in beating both boys, the amount of food Byleth was able to eat put them to shame.

She also heard from Caspar that the son of Count Hevring, Linhardt, was around somewhere but she could not find him. Not that she wanted to in the first place, the boy’s laziness annoyed her to no end.

She even found the magically gifted Constance. The two of them, plus Hubert, were in the middle of a discussion on how Edelgard might be able to increase her magic ability when she felt a tug at her sleeve. Turning to face who wanted her attention, she was met with the scrunched face of her best friend.

“Byleth, what's wrong?” Edelgard worredly asked. Her friend looked very uncomfortable, and the fact that anyone passing by could tell was what worried her more. After all Byleth had yet to openly show her emotions in front of strangers.

“...to many people…” She mumbled.

The princess instinctually took a look around. There were a lot of people, not to mention how noisy it was with all the talking. She could understand how her normally quiet friend would be uncomfortable.

Looking around the room more Edelgard spotted the door to a balcony that looked empty. Taking Byleth’s hand she gave a quick apology to Constance, with a promise to talk later, and led her friend towards the hopefully quiet spot.

Once they reached the balcony she turned to her friend and asked “Is this better?”

Byleth nodded, before averting her eyes “...sorry…”

The princess quickly shook her head “You don’t need to apologize. I understand being uncomfortable around a lot of people. Personally I’d only invite close friends to my birthday.” She smiled to herself “Like you and Hubert.” Byleth’s gaze returned to the princess, her eyes slightly widened, before smiling back.

They walked over to the edge of the balcony and took in the view. Enbarr looked gorgeous at night, and the star filled sky above it just added to the sight. Edelgard felt like she could look at it forever. For just a moment she forgot about the rest of the world. For a moment it was just her and Byleth. Just a quiet moment between friends.

Then she heard murmuring from her right. She turned and saw Byleth looking at her, the girl’s cheeks the slightest tint of red.

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

Quietly, presumably so Hubert did not hear her, Byleth whispered “...You look pretty…”

Edelgard felt her face turn as red as the dress she was wearing. In all honesty she did not think she looked that special, but hearing Byleth say it… well Byleth had never lied to her before so...

She turned her gaze back to the city. 

“I…think you look pretty too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few things.
> 
> If you’ve been reading this story for awhile you probably noticed my update schedule is kinda non existent. That’s, unfortunately not likely to change, but I want to assure you I’m still working on this story.
> 
> Second, for the sake of my own sanity and this story moving along at a reasonable pace not all El’s siblings will be mentioned or show up. In canon she legitimately has nearly a dozen brothers and sisters and I don’t think I can bring myself to write that many characters in what’s supposed to be a Edelgard and Byleth centric story.
> 
> Lastly, in case your wondering, yes there is an explanation to why Byleth doesn’t comb her hair, can you guess why? ;)


	7. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth’s never had good dreams...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than it was supposed to but school and writers block hit like a truck so...

Papa was gone.

He went into Alliance territory to do something, Byleth wasn’t paying that much attention so she couldn’t remember. He left her in a small village in the Empire they frequented, with a family to take care of her. She overheard the family (she couldn’t remember their names) talking about how her papa should have been back by now.

They questioned whether he was still alive.

Byleth knew better though. Every now and then a group of bandits would attack them while they traveled and she would see papa in battle. He was unstoppable. Anyone who was foolish enough to try to attack him or her was quickly killed for trying.

Papa is not dead, he's probably just busy. Maybe he found a new job close to where the one he left for was or maybe their mercenary band ran into more bandits than usual, but he wasn’t dead.

He couldn’t be.

In the meantime however, Byleth was bored. It was a quiet, kind of cloudy day, but the family she’s staying with won’t let her go fishing, something about not being able to find her last time she went. They did say she could go outside and play with the other kids in the village, but from past experiences she doesn’t think that a good idea.

So here she was, sitting inside people watching. She’s seen a couple yelling at each other, some mercenaries asking people around for jobs, a boy crying to his mother, some people wearing some funny looking masks, and a dog chasing a cat. In short, nothing that interesting (except for the cat, luckily it was able to get away from the dog).

That was until she saw a cart being pulled toward the center of town with a bunch of flowers on display. 

Byleth always liked flowers, her papa said that it was something she got from her mom. She especially liked to watch them grow, wondering what colors they would be once their petals finally bloomed. Plus papa always seemed to like it when she brought him different flowers to look at.

She looked in the bag containing the pile of coins she was given in case she wanted to buy anything. She should have enough for a few seeds.

Byleth put on her cloak, grabbed her knife, and made sure she put on her boots, before leaving. Once she made it to the town square she looked around before spotting the flower cart and walking over. Once she was there the lady with the cart said something, but Byleth ignored her in favor of looking at the flowers for sale.

There were bouquets of different flowers, underneath which were small packets of seeds which were significantly less money. She grabbed a packet for some black roses, carnations, and some white tulips. That's when Byleth saw a flower she’d never seen before.

It’s petals were two different colors, with bright red petals being the most pronounced and dark teal petals beneath the first color. They were very pretty and the teal matched her hair. She bought two packets just in case, she could sometimes forget to water her flowers.

Once she had all her packets she walked towards the lady manning the cart. “Oh, is there something I can help you with, sweetie.” Byleth started, unblinking, at the woman for a few seconds before holding up the packets in her hand. The flower lady’s smile faltered slightly before speaking “I, uh… ok. That should be around… 1200 gold.”

That’s almost all her gold…

She hands it over, after all her papa isn’t exactly the best role model for money management. 

Byleth begins walking back to her caretaker’s house when things begin to change. The world seems ever so slightly darker and she thinks she hears screaming in the background. Byleth feels a sense of dread that causes her to walk ever so slightly faster. When the house is finally in sight she sees it’ been set ablaze. When did it…

Suddenly people are running and screaming, pushing into her and almost knocking her over. Byleth covers her ears and starts to back away. It’s to loud, to crowded, she can’t think straight, she can’t-

Why did everything feel so familiar-

Oh… this is just a dream. Byleth tries to calm herself down, but the realization only seems to make the dream worse. The screaming gets louder, it feels more crowded, and the smell of death starts to fill her nose.

Why did she have to dream about this day _again?_ Why couldn’t she have good dreams like a _normal person?_ She feels her boots squelch into something wet and sticky. She slams her eyes, and starts shaking.

Why was this happening to her? She just wanted to wake up. She just wanted to be back in her comfy bed in the palace. _She just wanted to wake up and see Edelgard._

_**She just wanted her papa-**_

Byleth feels her back bump into something, and turns around to see as an axe is swung into her-

\------------

Edelgard was wandering the halls late at night. She couldn’t sleep, and her father was too busy right now to talk to, and she didn’t want to wake anyone else up. Besides she was old enough to handle nightmares on her own. There were still knights standing guard and patrolling the halls, but most left her alone knowing the princess wouldn’t accept help from anyone she wasn’t particularly close to.

She was just about to walk past the archway that led to the garden when something caught her eye. In the grass laid her best friend gazing up at the stars with a tiny white body laid on her stomach. “Byleth?” The girl didn’t move a muscle. Edelgard walked closer before trying again. “Byleth is that you?”

Her friend finally responded, moving her head to look at her and Edelgard could tell something was wrong. Byleth’s eyes seemed… blank. And while her face usually was as such, Byleth’s eyes always seemed to have some life to them if you looked hard enough. But no matter how hard Edelgard looked…

She laid next to the quiet girl. Edelgard would have tried giving her friend a hug, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to get up anytime soon, especially with the kitten on her stomach.

Edelgard didn’t know what to say. She wanted to comfort her friend but Byleth had never seemed so… closed off before.

They two girls continued gazing at the stars, until Edelgard suddenly asked “Did you know that those stars form the two headed eagle on the Empire’s flag? And those…” She continued talking about the stars and constellations, until she stopped in realization. “I… I’m sorry if I'm bothering you. I’ll stop talking now…”

“...no…”

Edelgard, surprised, turned to face Byleth. Her friend’s eyes seemed to have regained the life that was missing in them when she first arrived. “...please...to quiet…”

She smiled “Okay.”

\------------

“You know, some people think that the moon you're born under corresponds to a constellation and determines what kind of person you are” Edelgard giggled slightly “I think it’s a little silly but people believe all sorts of things so…”

Byleth simply hummed while giving Sothis scratches, the small kitten purring in response. Edelgard could not help but smile at her friend’s improved mood, her own nightmare forgotten.

She turned back to the sky as a question popped into her head.

“Hey Byleth, when where you born?”

Her friend takes a moment to respond, before answering “... 14th day, Ethereal Moon…”

…

Isn’t that in a few...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt longer than it turned out to be and I’m not sure how to feel about that
> 
> On another note to answer the question asked the previous chapter, the answer is that Jeralt was the one brushing Byleth’s hair and as such she doesn’t do it herself.
> 
> Anyway next chapter will be lighter don’t worry :)
> 
> Edit: Changed final line as I feel I didn’t give enough context in this chapter

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed


End file.
